Students planning to apply must be in good academic and disciplinary standing when applying and at the time of departure. Students not in good standing at the time of application may request a waiver of this policy. Waivers will be approved or denied in conjunction with the Deans' Office. All Wesleyan academic regulations apply to students studying for Wesleyan credit abroad.

Permission to study abroad will be denied or revoked in the following circumstances:

• Disciplinary proceedings filed after the approval to study abroad has been granted;
• Failure to resolve any incomplete or any grade of X or AB by two weeks prior to the beginning of the program;
• Failure to resolve a delinquent balance in the student’s Wesleyan account the semester prior to studying abroad.

Students wishing to study abroad following a medical leave must petition for permission to do so.

Application for permission to study abroad includes a Standards of Conduct Pledge. This pledge holds students accountable to Wesleyan’s Honor System and Code of Non-Academic Conduct. Infractions abroad may result in Honor Board or Student Judicial Board charges and potentially expulsion from the program.

Students required to resign from Wesleyan may not use study abroad as a way of gathering the credit needed to return, unless they are citizens of the country in which they wish to study. In that case, their credit taken abroad is processed as if it were domestic transfer credit through the Registrar’s office, and not through the OSA.

Students who accept positions as head residents for a particular academic year are not eligible to study abroad during that time, due to the commitments of that position.

Wesleyan students may study abroad up to two semesters, whether that be a full academic year or two non-consecutive semesters. Summer and winter study abroad is unlimited starting the summer after one’s first year. 

We encourage you to consider studying abroad for two full semesters. Some students choose to attend one program for a year whereas others attend two separate (often very different!) semester programs. Only you can determine what option makes the most sense for you and your goals, but the longer you study abroad, the more immersive and impactful the experience will be. 

For students studying abroad for a semester, you must receive a minimum of 3 Wesleyan credits to maintain your full-time student status. Most students take an equivalent of 4 Wesleyan credits during a semester abroad, but this doesn't necessarily mean you will be enrolled in only four classes. 

Most study abroad programs use a different credit system than Wesleyan, so it's normal to feel confused when you first start exploring course options. Many programs use the “semester hour” system where one course usually equals 3 semester hours. Four (4) semester hours of coursework taken in this system are equivalent to one (1.0) Wesleyan credit. Wesleyan students enrolled under the semester-hour system must enroll in 15-16 semester hours in order to earn 4 Wesleyan credits. This often means taking five or more courses to equal 4 Wesleyan credits. 

Students enrolling directly at a university abroad should be aware that there is considerable variation in the weighing of courses, not only from institution to institution but sometimes between schools or colleges within a single institution. In such cases, questions regarding equivalencies will be addressed on an individual basis. 

If you have any questions, email studyabroad@wesleyan.edu for assistance.

For all programs, we strongly recommend you take at least one course that focuses on the local culture.

Wesleyan requires students to have foreign language experience to study abroad in many parts of the world. See the language policy webpage for more details. Exceptions to the language policy are made only for certain monothematic programs. 

If you plan to study abroad in a country where English is not the primary language (and the language is not taught at Wes), you will need to take at least one course focused on the language of the host country or region each semester you’re abroad. For example, if you attend a program in Hungary, one of the courses you’ll take is Introductory Hungarian. 

Students who apply to study abroad through Wesleyan for a semester or year will automatically receive credit toward their Wesleyan degree for all liberal arts courses taken abroad in fields taught at Wesleyan.

The only courses that require pre-approval for graduation credit are film production and non-liberal arts courses (e.g., business, law, etc.). For all other fields taught at Wesleyan, departmental approval is not required for graduation credit to transfer. 

Students studying abroad on a summer or winter program must receive departmental approval for all courses taken abroad for credit to transfer back to Wesleyan. 

The Office of Study Abroad does not determine whether courses taken abroad count for completion of any specific major, minor, or certificate. All such decisions are made by the academic departments, colleges, or programs.  

In determining whether to count a course toward completion of the major, advisors may choose to make final approval contingent upon specific conditions. These conditions may include a minimum grade or portfolio review, that is, submission of the syllabus, course description and written work, upon returning to campus. 

Once your application has been accepted in ViaTRM, you will be asked to complete a course approval form for any courses you plan to take toward a major, minor, or certificate. This form must be signed by the appropriate academic department(s). 

Subjects not found at Wesleyan such as law, business, etc., do not transfer unless they are pre-approved by a Wesleyan department. Keep in mind that there are some courses that will not transfer at all.  

Once your application has been accepted in ViaTRM, you will be asked to complete a course approval form. You will use this form to request departmental approval for any non-liberal arts courses that you hope to take abroad. Students are encouraged to speak to the Office of Study Abroad prior to contacting any department to verify if departmental approval is necessary. 

You have two options for transferring credit for an internship abroad: 

• If the department from which you wish to receive credit for the internship offers an Education in the Field course, you may request approval for an appropriate level of credit from the department. See Wesleyan's course catalog for more information. 
• Alternatively, you can earn 0.25 for an internship that entails at least 40 hours total (not per week). You can count credit from up to two internships (maximum) toward graduation. This type of internship is graded CR/U and receives CSPL credit. Internships must be pre-approved by the Office of Study Abroad, contain an academic component such as a paper or group project, and appear on the transcript provided by the program or institution. 

Please note that when an internship is part of a study abroad program and appears on the study abroad transcript from the program or host institution, you do not need to enroll in the internship course at Wesleyan (the credit will transfer automatically). A department or advisor may need to review your work, papers or other evidence for final approval. 

You may need to modify your course selection during the on-site registration period. If you are switching into a course that you hope to count towards a major, minor, or certificate, you're expected to seek your academic advisor’s guidance and approval by email and must notify the Office of Study Abroad of any course changes. The same is also true for any courses you switch into that do not fall into a liberal arts discipline (see previous question above about this).

Failure to get approval for a course change may result in you making inadequate progress toward the completion of your major, minor, or certificate. 

All grades for semester and year-long study abroad are reported on the Wesleyan transcript and factored into your overall GPA. All courses must be taken in the graded mode (A-F) unless this option is unavailable. For some foreign universities, a conversion scale is used. The grades appearing on the foreign university's transcript may not necessarily correspond to the grade entered on the Wesleyan transcript.

All credits for summer and winter study abroad transfer to the Wesleyan transcript as CR/U. 

Students studying abroad on any semester or year program may elect to take up to one course per semester with CR/U grading mode. You must first consult with your program’s Resident Director (for Wesleyan-run programs), your Wesleyan academic advisor, your Class Dean, and/or an advisor in the Office of Study Abroad before electing to take a course CR/U. 

Because all transcripts are processed by the Office of Study Abroad, you must contact studyabroad@wesleyan.edu if you decide to take a course CR/U during your term abroad. The deadline to elect CR/U is the same as the deadline for students to declare a grading mode change on Wesleyan’s campus or, on programs with different academic calendars, a similar length of time before the end of their semester as the deadline to declare grading mode on campus.  

All credits for summer and winter study abroad transfer to the Wesleyan transcript as CR/U. 

Please note that grades in courses must be a C- or better to be eligible for transfer of credit (CR).

You should check with your program provider to make sure your transcript will be sent to the Office of Study Abroad after your program ends. 

Electronic transcripts may be sent to studyabroad@wesleyan.edu.

Paper transcripts may be sent to: 
Office of Study Abroad, Wesleyan University 
201 Fisk Hall 
262 High Street 
Middletown, CT 06459 

There could be several reasons why you cannot see your study abroad grades yet on your Academic History: 

• Your transcript has not arrived to the OSA yet or was sent to another Wesleyan office by mistake. You can ask your program provider about the status of your transcript. 
• Your transcript was received by the OSA but the manual grade entry process is ongoing.  
• You did not complete your post-program evaluation yet.